Third down

Monday

Sep 24, 2007 at 6:00 AM

Rich Garven

There was a lull, but there was no letdown.

One week after a rousing victory over the Chargers in an electric atmosphere at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots entertained the beleaguered Buffalo Bills yesterday at Bill Belichick’s safe house. The weather was summer-like on this first day of fall. It was almost too nice to work.

Despite losing starting quarterback J.P. Losman to injury two plays into the game, things were working pretty well for the winless Bills. They held a 7-3 lead midway through the second quarter thanks to a 10-play, 80-yard drive capped by Marshawn Lynch’s impressive, 8-yard touchdown run.

“As the game went on we kind of turned the tempo down a bit,” cornerback Ellis Hobbs said of the team as a whole and the defense in particular. “We thought they were going to roll over and thankfully we got back on track. We just needed to tighten up.”

So the heavily favored Patriots tightened a few loose defensive screws and displayed the ruthlessness of a divorce lawyer while holding the Bills to 104 yards over the final three quarters. The offense held up its end and the result was another blowout victory, this time by a 38-7 count.

The Patriots are 3-0, having won by 24, 24 and 31 points. That’s saying something in a league where 40 percent of the games are routinely decided by seven points or less.

They are good — the best the NFL has to offer right now — but they’ll be the first to tell you they are not good enough.

“Every week we look to improve,” linebacker Adalius Thomas said. “That’s the goal. If you stay the same you’re declining. This isn’t a league of last week; it’s a league of today.”

Yesterday, the Patriots came to play. Just not right away.

There were signs as late as Thursday the New Englanders were still hung over from their intoxicating win Sunday night. Practice did not go well that day and the lethargic players ended it by running laps.

Yesterday, the Bills came in with an offense that ranked next-to-last in the NFL. They turned the ball over on their second play, Hobbs forcing a fumble that was recovered by Jarvis Green. Losman limped to the sideline and didn’t return.

In came Trent Edwards, who was playing for Stanford at this time last season. Everything looked to be going the Patriots’ way, but things quickly took an unexpected turn.

Edwards was sharp, the youngster completing four of his first five passes for 55 yards. He was backed by fellow rook Lynch, who gained 39 yards on his first eight touches.

The Bills scored on their second possession and, for the first time this season, the Patriots found themselves trailing. But not panicking.

“It’s a game of adjustments, and we needed to make some,” Green said. “I just think there were plays to be made and we didn’t make them. We tried to go out there and take control of our responsibilities and do a good job. It’s a 60-minute game and you’ve got to play all four quarters.”

The final 2-1/2 quarters belonged to the Patriots. The offense was scary, the defense suffocating.

Edwards was 6 of 15 for 42 yards after his red-hot start. He was sacked once and hit another half-dozen times. Lynch is going to be a good one, but his day ended on a bad note as he was held to 35 yards on his final 12 carries.

“They did some misdirection things in favor of Lynch,” defensive end Ty Warren said. “He’s a very good running back and very precise with his cuts. They used him to their advantage, and then we made some adjustments on the sideline.”

When it was all over, the sun-drenched and beer-soaked fans — including one Elvis impersonator in a white jumpsuit — high-fived their way to postgame tailgates. They talked about Tom Brady’s precise throws and Randy Moss’ incredible catches and Wes Welker’s lateral. Lost in the conversation was a defense that, with the exception of a shaky stretch, proved dominant for a third straight Sunday.

The Patriots have given up just 35 points, a total bettered only by Pittsburgh, Jacksonville and, prior to last night’s game with Dallas, Chicago. They are yielding a paltry 207 yards a game and have created five turnovers their last two times out.

They buzz all over the field, but have to create a buzz in the stands. Not that they care.

“I don’t think we’re overlooked regardless of who gets the credit,” Hobbs said. “But we don’t care (anyway). It’s a team effort. We don’t care who makes the play as long as we’re all making plays.”

Did we mention they’re due to get Rodney Harrison back next Tuesday? And Richard Seymour is still out there working hard to rehab his knee and rejoin his teammates.

Lulls are going to happen, but not letdowns. Not when you have a defense like the Patriots.

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